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This year’s wheat crop could impact bread, bakeries

One of the nation’s largest wheat milling companies says the potential of a poor crop this year could impact the baking industry. 

Marco Hernandez, technical director with Miller Milling, says lower production and poor quality will make wheat supplies and inventories tight. “Historically, good regions are really bad, that’s problem for us.  We have to start getting ready and prepare for what type of wheat blends we’re going to do and what kind of conversations we’re going to have with bakeries.

He tells Brownfield that will impact the amount and quality of bread that can be produced. “Do we need to stretch those inventories out for several months or do we need to go out and buy some wheat somewhere else?”

Hernandez tells Brownfield it’s extremely rare for companies to purchase wheat outside of the U.S., but Canada is an option. “We don’t have the quality we need.  This is going to be a problem.”

However, he doesn’t expect these issues to impact consumer prices.